Ike's Place {San Francisco, CA}

Ah, Ike's Place. There isn't much you wouldn't like about this place upon first introduction. It's a small joint housing thousands (okay, I exaggerate) of delicious sandwiches. I finished mine, above, in mere seconds flat (see, that's that exaggeration again)!

I think no matter which way you go, the sandwiches here, that is if you like sandwiches, will please you. There's a choice for everybody out there, heck, there are even choices for those who don't even exist yet. But one thing is for sure, ask for extra dirty sauce - it's the bee's knees.

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Kan Zaman {San Francisco, CA}

I wandered into Kan Zaman on a cold afternoon, trying to escape the cold rush of air. Inside, I was greeted by a charming, Middle Eastern-ish joint. To warm my soul, I ordered a Arabic coffee. One friend ordered an Arabic tea while the others decided to warm up in another way: beer.
The Arabic coffee was wonderful, warm and earthy but the real star was the Arabic tea. One of the best cups of tea I've had, and my first encounter with the type. The tea had fresh mint flowing around and was herb-y and delicious. They also offer hookah here, if you'd like.

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Zazie {San Francisco, CA}

Zazie is one of those places that you just immediately like right when you get seated. It's small, warm and has this unbelievable neighborhood charm.
You move onto the food, and that charm just keeps on coming. The food here is made with love, you can just taste it. It's simple food that's fresh and just darn delicious.

I chose to munch on polenta topped with wilted greens, a poached egg and a simple tomato sauce, served alongside some greens. Everything was executed perfectly and it was a nice, hearty breakfast.
My ultimate favorite though, has to be their famous gingerbread pancakes. I don't even really love gingerbread as a flavor that much, but these pancakes were fantastic! Fluffy, lightly spiced and perfectly paired with some lemon curd, mmm.
We also tried their French Toast Tahiti, challah bread which was stuffed with caramelized bananas and walnuts. Definitely decadent, which I don't prefer for breakfast, but tantalizing nonetheless!

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Osha {San Francisco, CA}

Most often, I like my Thai restaurants (or actually, all Asian restaurants, for the matter) to be hole-in-the-wall, super authentic places. When I was visiting San Francisco, my friend told me to try Osha. Since I almost always listen to friend recommendations, I decided to give it a try. Entering, I was first put off guard by the upscale, modern decor. Though quite soothing, definitely not what I was expecting.
With the modern atmosphere and ambience, you pay a bit more, which I don't mind too much as long as the food is good, because there's nothing worse then paying for ambience AND bad food. Luckily for me, I was in for a ride! The food at Osha was delightful, full of flavor, kept traditional in some dishes and strayed modern in others. I could not have asked for a better dinner.

Above, the green curry fried rice was probably the least spectacular of all the dishes we had, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't good. Below, the Spicy Catfish was the star of the night: tender, flaky pieces of fish covered in a lush sauce that really knocked out your tastebuds. Soooooo delicious.
The green curry, below, like it's cousin the green curry fried rice was good, but again, nothing spectacular.
The most appropriately named, Volcano Beef, was everything and more. Incredibly tender pieces of beef in a volcanic sauce, haha sorry I had no other way to describe it! This one definitely was a looker!
And the Pad Sew Ew, something you can find at almost every Thai restaurant. This was quite possibly the best Pad Sew Ew I've ever had. Incredibly flavorful and the noodles were perfectly cooked, chewy with a bit of bite.
My second favorite of the night was the Duck Salad, wow, just wow. Mixed with greens, grapes, and cashews, I was constantly kept on my toes with all the fresh flavors!

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Mama's {San Francisco, CA}

Ah the joys of a good breakfast. I'm not normally a breakfast person, so when I do eat breakfast, I like to go all out. At Mama's, you can definitely do that and more!

To start, you simply wait in line, place your order, scramble to find a table and then they bring your food out to you. While you wait, you can play around with the homemade jam set on the table, ummm delicious!!! Oh, and you can sip on some delightful libations.

Our picks were the mimosa and bloody mary. The mimosa, small may it have been, packed quite the punch. I shared one and still felt a bit woozy, but at the same time was not heckling because of an overly strong alcohol taste - a mimosa done right. The bloody mary, beastly as it looked, was delicious as well.

My absolute favorite dish was the Northern Italian omelette. Yes, you can find eggs everywhere but you can't find them done well everywhere. This omelette had it going on, stuffed with all kinds of goodness and saltiness.

The Kugelhuph french toast was a sight for sore eyes, bathed in fresh berries and just a touch of powdered sugar.
This was my friends: the Huevos Rancheros. I didn't try it but I really can't imagine it being anything less than spectacular.

Yes, we wiped our plates clean, it was all worth it. Overall, Mama's is a great home-y breakfast nook that serves straightforwardly delicious food.

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Katana-Ya {San Francisco, CA}

Ramen is essential to the health of the body. Ha, it's actually not but I'd like to think it breeds good things for the mind. On a cold day in San Francisco, there's nothing more comforting than a bowl of hot soup that's been made with love and that you've been waiting in line for, for 30 minutes. Seriously people, this place always has a line!

I got the Kara-Age Ramen with the miso broth. Everything about this ramen was delicious. I definitely would not call myself a ramen connoisseur by any means, but for me, this ramen hit all the spots. The miso broth was comforting and the noodles were slightly chewy, just how I like them. The fried chicken pieces were good as well, nothing spectacular although something new to say the least.

Ramen + friends = a good lunch.

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Bob's Donuts {San Francisco, CA}

Bob's is, in my book, the best donut shop. There's no fancy schmancy stuff here, no knick nacks or 'haute' donuts. These are the donuts you grew up eating, but the best versions of those that you will ever have.
To be honest, I might be a bit biased. Being wooed by the charming staff always has a way of upping the 'flavor factor' but believe me when I tell you that these donuts are g-o-o-d and bonus, the charming staff!
The optimal time to get these donuts are at their freshest, when they are being plopped into the hot grease for their daily bath and then placed warm and fresh right in front of your face, about 11 pm - 1 am. I mean why wouldn't you NOT want to eat a donut that has just freshly been fried? Yes, I know you do.
Ahhh... the joys of the cruller! Perfection. But I have to say my favorite thing to get here are the fresh apple fritters. These are by far the best apple fritters I've ever had in my life, and that's saying something, because I've had my fair share!
Mmm, simple yeasted donut with chocolate glaze. This will never get old...

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Fleur de Sel Caramels

I've been obsessed with salted caramel lately. First, I encountered some through a friend, who gave my sister and I a load full of them. Needless to say, we polished off those babies in well under two days... then I made these Salted Caramel Cupcakes, which fueled my obsession even more!

Those cupcakes were probably one of my favorite cupcakes I've made so far; the perfect combination of salty and sweet which is perfect because I hate when cupcakes are too, too sweet. That's where the salt comes in. Salt is added to almost every baked good imaginable because it heightens the flavor and cuts down on the sugary-high.

These caramels were simple and delicious! The only real special thing you need is a candy thermometer but other than that the ingredients are simple and so is the process. And the end result? Well, let's just say I'm going to have to visit my dentist reallllll soon and he won't be too happy with me!

Fleur de Sel Caramels

Yields: 30 caramels

Original recipe can be found here.

Printable Recipe

Vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup heavy cream

5 tbsn. unsalted butter

1 tsp. fleur de sell, plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then brush the paper lightly with oil, allowing the paper to drape over two sides. In a deep saucepan, stir together 1/4 cup water with the sugar and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil until mixture is a warm, golden brown color. Don't stir - just swirl the pan to mix. Watch carefully, as it will burn quickly at the end. In the meantime, in a small pan, bring the cream, butter and 1 tsp. fleur de del to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When sugar mixture is a warm, golden color, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful! It will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 F (firm ball stage) on a candy thermometer. Very carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate until firm.

When caramels are cold, use the parchment paper to pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board (the caramels will be supple and easy to handle, if too stiff, allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes). Cut into 1-inch squares, taking care not to tough the caramel with your finger. Sprinkle each with fleur de sell and wrap individually in glassine or parchment paper. Store in refrigerator and serve caramels chilled.

Mmmmm salty goodness!

Tailored Tuesdays

1. Mike & Chris "Maurice washed leather jacket"

2. Marios Schwab "Embellished twill dress"

3. Chloe "Paraty python tote"

4. Christian Louboutin "Pigalle 100 studded pumps"

5. Dannijo "Jacinda silver plated ring"

all images can be found at net-a-porter.com

Coconut Mochi Cake

This summer I attended a little party. Everyone brought a little something to contribute. I brought my Ferrero Rocher cupcakes and Empanadas, which were delish but not as delish as this Mochi cake. Of course I knew what mochi was, but mochi cake!? I've never tried it or even heard of such a thing before! Well thank gosh I did because it's now one of my favorite cakes ever!

If you've never tried mochi or mochi cake, it has a pleasantly chewy and dense texture. I warn you, to some, this might seem odd, but to me it's utterly delicious. Well I begged my friend for the recipe and here it is, so enjoy everyone! I knew I would have to, have to make this cake for my family on Thanksgiving and I guess you're wondering WHY on Thanksgiving? Seems odd doesn't it?
Well my family hates, loathes, protests overly-sweet baked goods. Never will I ever make them a cupcake or other baked goods for them! Well I was right, this cake was perfectly sweet but not overly so. The texture really resembles some Vietnamese bakery goods as well so I knew that that would also be familiar to them. Anyways, I love this cake! Plus, did I mention how easy it is?! Just mix and bake, and you're done folks!

Mochi Cake

Yields: 1 large bundt cake

Original recipe from Kim, my friend.

Printable Recipe

1 stick butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten (or 3, if you prefer a more dense cake)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 16 oz. box Mochiko flour

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

1/2 cup water

1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk

Mix everything together and put in a greased baking pan. Put in a 350 F oven for an hour, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely then enjoy.

Mmmmm my favorite!